new to this

gabrielguy

New Member
hey chameleon forums, im new to chameleons, and obviously i have a lot to learn, and im going to wait to get a chameleon so i can learn more and it doesnt die when i get it. but im wondering, in the mean time, should i get a bearded dragon? imean chameleons arent for first time reptile owners right? and plus, i know someone selling a beardey with a 10 gal tank, uvb and heat lights for $120 thats cheap right? cause at my local pet store(carters) i saw an adult beardey for 80, and the uvb and heat lights, with the domes, were $70, thats already $150. should i get the bearded dragon for now? also, i am stiill looking into chameleons, so check out my other thread

https://www.chameleonforums.com/help-help-help-51810/#post484840
 
OK-here is the low down on Beardies. You will need alot of space. The minimum you can keep an adult in is a 40 gallon breeder. They also need UVB, heat lamps-something you will be running at least a 100 watt bulb in to keep temps over 100, calcium and vitamin supplements, lots of insects, and lots of fresh greens, veggies, and fruits. You also should be soaking/swimming them weekly. They actually require even more care then chameleons in my opinion, and they live longer.
 
Beardies are great little reptiles and are a great start to keeping unusual scaly animals. They're not quite so sensitive, usually enjoy handling (at least more than a cham) and many of the same husbandry concepts apply. The same gutloading techniques, which are very important, for chameleons can be applied to the crickets and worms you feed your beardies. The lighting, temp/humidity, and set up will be different since they're not arboreal and are from near desert environments but basic reptile care is definitely good to have a grasp on before getting a cham in my opinion. Not crucial, but definitely makes it easier imo. :)
 
OK-here is the low down on Beardies. You will need alot of space. The minimum you can keep an adult in is a 40 gallon breeder. They also need UVB, heat lamps-something you will be running at least a 100 watt bulb in to keep temps over 100, calcium and vitamin supplements, lots of insects, and lots of fresh greens, veggies, and fruits. You also should be soaking/swimming them weekly. They actually require even more care then chameleons in my opinion, and they live longer.

Very true and good to keep in mind! If you want to start with a beardie, don't assume it will be as temporary as your interest in it may be. I started with an iguana to prepare for more difficult reptiles. That was when I was 9 (I have always wanted chams)...I'm now 25 and she's still going strong! Too strong at times actually, she can be quite the terror.
 
Very true and good to keep in mind! If you want to start with a beardie, don't assume it will be as temporary as your interest in it may be. I started with an iguana to prepare for more difficult reptiles. That was when I was 9 (I have always wanted chams)...I'm now 25 and she's still going strong! Too strong at times actually, she can be quite the terror.

so are you saying to start with an iguana(meybee something even eiser to take care of) then a beardie, them chameleon?? actually....whats the easiest reptile to take care of? lol. i dont want a snake or skink, or from lol(if those are reptiles) imean out of lizards, whats the easiest??????
 
my bad lol i messed up on hella words lol^^^ ill correct myself haha


so are you saying to start with an iguana(maybee something even easier to take care of) then a beardie, then chameleon?? actually....whats the easiest reptile to take care of? lol. i dont want a snake or skink, or frog lol(if those are reptiles) imean out of lizards, whats the easiest??????
 
so are you saying to start with an iguana(maybee something even easier to take care of) then a beardie, then chameleon?? actually....whats the easiest reptile to take care of? lol. i dont want a snake or skink, or frog lol(if those are reptiles) imean out of lizards, whats the easiest??????

Haha no I wasn't saying that's what you had to do, I was just mentioning that I started with an iguana since I've never had a beardie. Julirs was just telling you that if you got that bearded you were talking about that it didn't have the correct size tank so you'd have to spend the money on a bigger one.

I would not recommend an iguana actually. They tend to start friendly but turn into monsters after they reach maturity and at over 4 feet long they need lots of room! Their needs are closer to chams except they are not insectivores. My iguana's outdoor cage is massive, she's really messy and I'm the only one that can handle her. She bites or whips everyone else.

If you want to prepare for a cham I would suggest a bearded dragon or leopard gecko personally. They're insectivores so you'll learn gutloading techniques but neither one will have the same husbandry requirements as a cham. All the species have unique needs coming from different parts of the world. They're pretty easy to take care of but you'll still need to learn about them to do so correctly. You'll have to learn a lot about any exotic pet you take on. I would do some research on those first if you're looking for something fairly easy.
 
Haha no I wasn't saying that's what you had to do, I was just mentioning that I started with an iguana since I've never had a beardie. Julirs was just telling you that if you got that bearded you were talking about that it didn't have the correct size tank so you'd have to spend the money on a bigger one.

I would not recommend an iguana actually. They tend to start friendly but turn into monsters after they reach maturity and at over 4 feet long they need lots of room! Their needs are closer to chams except they are not insectivores. My iguana's outdoor cage is massive, she's really messy and I'm the only one that can handle her. She bites or whips everyone else.

If you want to prepare for a cham I would suggest a bearded dragon or leopard gecko personally. They're insectivores so you'll learn gutloading techniques but neither one will have the same husbandry requirements as a cham. All the species have unique needs coming from different parts of the world. They're pretty easy to take care of but you'll still need to learn about them to do so correctly. You'll have to learn a lot about any exotic pet you take on. I would do some research on those first if you're looking for something fairly easy.

so basicly just get either one to prepare me for a chameleon? and oh, wtf is husbandry? lol
 
so basicly just get either one to prepare me for a chameleon? and oh, wtf is husbandry? lol

Husbandry refers to how you take care of an animal and what it needs to thrive. In this case, how the cage is set up, what temperature and humidity it's kept at, the type of light it needs, what it eats etc. The husbandry is different for every species of animals because of the varying types of environments they come from.
 
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